IMO, the problem is thus:
The financial commitment for a phaser or similar plastic molded/electronic toy is vast, with molds alone going for easily $ 100K+ [I defer to industry pros on this board, btw] I can't do an accurate financial model, but I know that it is a substantial commitment. Thus why you see the same toy forms recycled a lot (Star Wars Ewok Village e. g. )
Today's retailers for stuff aimed at people 10 (generously) and older are only going to stock what they can move. They will sell more Fortnite bobble heads and Anthem t-shirts and mugs than these phasers, unfortunately. Specialty shops won't buy them, because they will be shelf queen curiosities. You might get Walmart to pick it up, but only a few. Target won't go near it. TRU is gone.
Why?
Kids that buy things today don't buy the role play props from.....and I hate to say this.....
old people TV shows.
I love Star Trek and so do my kids 10 and 15. They are the exception, I believe.
1 in 100 11 year olds (either gender) will tug their parent's sleeve for a "fake" phaser you can't even shoot a nerf dart or play a VR game with.
Hand held toys like this are marketing dinosaurs, unless it's a lightsaber, which you can in fact whack your kid brother with.
I am not surprised. Today's kids can engage with a video game like never before. You can step INTO a game environment and do things. Why would the 10 year old me in 2019 care about a flashlight that goes beep when I can go shoot my buddies with nerf guns? (well, because I think I'd STILL be a big prop nerd, but you get my point
)
If you want to sell ST phasers to kids, make them double up as game controllers or VR units or at least make them an interactive "phaser tag" game device.
....and I will take three of them!
